Thursday, August 28, 2008

All last season I bitched about how the Kings mini-game plans totally sucked because you couldn't choose which games you wanted to attend. The mini plans that were offered last season always included games on weekdays (resulting in an ultra long commute from work) and there were definitely games against opponents that I did not want to see (such as Anaheim and Detroit).

This season the Kings are offering three (3) new 10-game ticket plans: Big Game (against high marquee opponents), Weekend, and Flex. Last season I definitely could have use the Weekend plan. However, I will soon be working just blocks from Staples Center so now I can attend weekday games without wanting to stab myself in the eye with a pencil during my entire commute just to detract my pain away from sitting in ungodly ridiculous traffic, especially in the segment where the freeway drops down to 3 lanes in each direction. 3 LANES!! The INSANITY! But that is a thing of the past. Now, I have the need for the Flex Plan in which I can select any 10 games I want to attend. The only drawback of selecting the Flex Plan over the other two plans is that the Flex Plan offers fewer benefits. For the seats that I'll be buying, I'll be paying $80 more total than the Weekend Plan, I won't be guaranteed the same seat for every game, and I won't be able to take advantage of the Ticket Exchange program.

The reason why I don't want to purchase the Weekend Plan, despite better benefits, is because I don't care to see Calgary, St. Louis, Colorado, Columbus, Minnesota (twice! and without Pavol), New Jersey, or Phoenix. Basically, there are only 2 games in the Weekend Plan that I care about: home opener against San Jose (*vomit*) and a game against Edmonton Oilers (Lubo, I miss you!).

Upon first thought of purchasing the Flex Plan I figured I would have a terrible time trying to meticulously analyze which games I would attend because I assumed it would be difficult to pick only 10 games. However, upon further review of the Kings '08-'09 schedule I came to the surprising conclusion that I was encountering difficulty because there were less than 10 games I had a burning desire to attend. I was stunned. How could I not even find 10 games I would be willing to pay to see? In Episode 1.8 of Kings World Podcast, I confessed to Connie my somewhat embarrassing realization. I was prepared to hear her call me a pathetic useless common fan, not worth of blogging and podcasting about the Kings. On the contrary Connie talked me through my dilemma and pointed out some games that should be exciting to see. After more thought I decided I wouldn't mind seeing the following 10-games:

I'm slightly annoyed that the last game of the season is once again versus a Pacific Division rival, but I don't think I have ever attended the last home game of a season and I'm willing to put aside my hatred of watching games against the Ducks or Sharks in order to bid my Kings adieu.

But then, I thought about it more. I'm planning on purchasing tickets close to Connie and AJ, which would place me in the Upper Center section, therefore, only providing me a $10 discount compared to purchasing 10 tickets individually, or rather, a measly $1 per game discount. Do I really want to fork over $360/10 games or do I want to only select a few games that I'm dying to see in person and save money by not attending more games. It's not that I can't afford $360 worth of tickets, it's just that I have so many freakin' "necessary" expenses right now I'm not sure if overall it would be worth it to purchase the 10-game Flex Plan. Or rather, the big issue at stake is do I want to commit to 10 games right now only to find out that I can't attend one or more all for saving $1 per game? I don't know what my Thanksgiving plans are and it's very possible that I may go out of town. I will definitely be out of town to celebrate New Year's and I can see myself coming home on taking a couple extra days off and coming home on Sunday, ergo missing the Philly game. The more I think about the flex plan, the more I'm talking myself out of it. How ironic that after all my complaining about wanting a flexible ticket plan, when I'm finally given the option I still complain about it and refuse to purchase it because the benefits are not great enough to commit to 10 games.

In a bit of old news, the Kings signed two Russian prospects, Viatcheslav Voynov and Andrei Loktionov, or as I like to call them, Voytionov, 'cause really, they're the same person. I don't care about these signings because their names aren't Jarret Stoll and Patrick O'Sullivan. I've kept relatively quiet on the unsignings of these two players but with less than a month till preseason starts and 44 days till the season opener, I'm getting a tad annoyed. I mean WTF guys? WTF Lombardi? Doughty is signed. Voytionov are signed. The younger comparable players around the league are signed. So why aren't Stoll and Sully signed too? How long do negotiations really take? Can you even imagine if you could take your sweet time to negotiate your salary at work? I realize professional sports is in a world of its own but I just find it so odd that these guys, especially O'Sullivan, are still unsigned. I keep telling myself not to worry and not to get riled up because the signings will eventually happen, but I just don't understand why it's taking so long. And this post will be the last time I discuss these players until something happens with their contracts.

77. I have natural highlights that I totally love. One time when I was about 11, my brother tried to get me in trouble and told my mom that I had used peroxide to highlight my hair but my mom didn't believe him for a second because she knew my highlights are natural. Haha, take that, hermano!

78. I have freckles that get more pronounced the more time I spend in the sun. When I was younger I hated my freckles because no models had freckles, they all had perfect porcelain skin. However, over the years I've grown to love and embrace my freckles.

81. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I just love the holiday spirit at that time of the year.

82. I've come to the conclusion that 98% of the American population is fucking retarded.

83. I hate homeless people. That sounds really shallow and selfish and you're probably thinking that if I hate the homeless situation then I should go out and make a difference. But no, I won't. I'll just sit here and complain about it.

84. I hate it when people say, "I hate drama!" People who say that are people who make drama out of the littlest things. Ever wonder why your life is filled with ridiculous unnecessary drama? Look in a mirror and that's your answer.

85. Sometimes I'll think about what it would be like to live in NYC and how exciting and fun living there would be...then I visit NYC for a weekend and remember why I live in LA and why I would never want to live there.

91. I don't like public transportation, but probably because it is so much easier to drive in LA. However, one summer I had an internship in Hawaii and I took the bus to work everyday and on the weekends to get around the island. I didn't really mind taking the bus all summer long because Hawaii actually has a really good bus system, but it did get old having to deal with all the crazies.

92. I don't have any tattoos. I'm not against tattoos, it's just that I can't think of anything I would want permanently on my body.

93. The majority of hotels completely gross me out. There's an episode of 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' where the family stays in a hotel and Kate tells all the kids to wear shoes when they're walking around the hotel room because the carpet is infested with germs. I may not walk around hotel rooms in shoes, but I understand ya, Kate.

94. I love wearing flip flops, especially Reefs. I wish it was acceptable to wear flip flops to the office because I would wear them everyday.

95. I'm near-sighted but I try to avoid wearing glasses as much as possible. I really wish I could wear contacts on a daily basis but I avoid wearing them because they irritate my eyes since I have unusually dry eyes. I used to be able to drive without glasses but I'm reaching the point where I really should wear them while driving. I also wear them when watching TV, playing video games, and at events where I'll need to see things that are far away, such as at hockey games. Boo sauce for having to wear glasses.

96. I'm not a big fan of Chinese food. My family and friends like to go to Dim Sum and I always go with them just to be nice but I don't find the food very enticing.

97. I've never been camping and I have no desire to ever go camping. I hate bugs and camping, or even hiking in the wilderness, is not appealing to me at all.

98. When I was really young I wanted a dog/puppy so badly. But after my family adopted a stray cat when I was 9 years old and we had her for 16 years, now all I want is a little kitty cat. They require significantly less attention than dogs and they don't get that stinky wet dog stench.

99. I love the color purple but I hate almost all purple colored food items. I like grapes and plums, but I cannot stand grape jelly/jam and grape juice and grape flavored candy. I also never liked taking Dimetapp because it tastes like grape nastiness.

100. Earlier this year someone hit my car and didn't leave a note. Now I have this dent on the front of my car and I'm too cheap to pay for it to get fixed, especially since I plan on driving my car till it no longer works. The dent is not that big but it's big enough that you can definitely notice it. And, to make matters worse, I'm pretty sure my parents think I did something to cause it. I can just see it in their eyes....when I told them I didn't know how it happened and that I just noticed it one day, I could tell that they weren't buying it even though it was a completely true story. I'm really nervous about moving to LA and driving to Downtown. As my brother put it, I could live near the 10 and take the freeway into Downtown. Or, I could live in the Miracle Mile/Hancock Park area and drive the Gauntlet into Downtown....the Gauntlet of uninsured motorists.

So that's it! The only things you really need to know about me. I guess I should get back to writing about the Kings...

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Part 3 of "100 Things about K.M.S." I spent way too much thinking of things to list; talking about myself really is difficult.

51. I enjoy bathroom humor. For instance, I bought my FI a birthday card that on the front had three guys in a pool that had a sign near it saying "No peeing in the pool" and there was a brown lump floating in the pool. And inside the card read "You're the shit. Happy Birthday." When I saw the card in the store I laughed so hard I almost cried. I knew the card wasn't romantic but we both enjoy bathroom humor so I knew he would like it.

52. I like a wide range of music. The only music I dislike is hardcore rap and rave/techno crap.

53. I don't like Star Wars.

54. I don't like science fiction movies, TV shows, and books.

55. I have plugs in my eye ducts to limit the amount of "moisture" drained from my eyes. And...my eyes are still severely dry.

56. I wear makeup almost every day. I think it's fun to play with makeup and I don't understand why some ladies are adamantly against wearing any.

57. If I don't bring my lunch to work, my go-to place to buy lunch is Taco Bell. It's cheap and fast and I don't have to get out of my car. 9.9 times out of 10 I'll get the 7-layer burrito.

58. I have 2 Nalgene bottles, one yellow and the other purple. My mom hates the yellow one because she thinks it looks like I'm drinking piss.

59. I played powder puff football in high school. Despite having to play with a bunch of self-obsessed cheerleaders, I had an amazing time.

60. I LOVE going to the eye doctor. I wish instead of having to visit the dentist twice a year I could go to my eye doctor twice a year.

61. I had a gum graft a couple years ago. Apparently that isn't really normal for someone my age but unfortunately I have thin gums.

62. I never had braces. Hahahahahha, to all of you who did have them!

63. I quietly talk to myself when I'm studying or writing reports. I didn't really notice I was doing it until I was studying for a big licensing exam and my FI said, "do they let you talk to yourself during the exam?" I snapped back, "YES!"

64. The longest I ever peed was about a minute and a half. I was at the Women's Soccer World Cup game and the 3rd place game was before the finals and it was so f'ing hot and I didn't want to get up and go to the nasty bathroom, so I sat through two games, drank tons of water and made it through the drive home. When we left I could barely walk because I had to pee so badly.

65. I'm a Republican.

66. I'm generally pretty good with directions. So if we're ever driving together and we get lost, no worries, I'll get us back to safety.

67. My dad grew up with Tim Gunn.

68. My mom wouldn't let me watch Beverly Hills 90210 when I was growing up. It had something to do with that show being a bad influence on a 10-year old....I don't know what she was talking about.

69. Considering how strict my mom was with almost every aspect of life, I find it surprising that she had no problem letting my brother and I watch R-rated movies well before we were 18. The first R-rated movie that I remember seeing was "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles", which I saw when I was 5.

70. My absolute favorite mug from my childhood had Cinderella on it. I think it had the stagecoach on one side and Cinderella in her ball gown on the other side. She looked so beautiful and the mug was perfect. When I came back from college and packed up stuff to bring with me to grad school I asked my mom where it was and she very nonchalantly informed me that she threw it out.

71. I don't forgive very easily. I'm much better at it than I used to be but if I say I forgive you, there's a 90% chance I'm lying. Chances are I'll probably forget about you before I ever forgive you.

72. I told my ex that I didn't want to be friends with him after he broke up with me because I already had enough guy friends.

73. I hate crying in front of people. Absolutely hate it.

74. In college I had a weird, slightly OCD habit of rewriting my class notes if I thought they were too messy. I spent a lot of time doing it but I think it also helped me remember what the professors talked about in each lecture.

75. I never went to my high school prom. I don't think it's that big of a deal but people are always shocked and horrified when I mention it.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Connie and I are back with another podcast episode. Listen to us bitch, bitch, bitch, moan, moan, moan about the Kings not getting enough national exposure. We also lighten things up as we discuss our favorite hockey movies. It turns out we have similar taste...what a shocker.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Still no exciting hockey stuff. However, here is the second part (#26-50) of the "Let's get to know more useless stuff about me".

26. I hated every single English class I took throughout my school years. The only writing class I enjoyed was "Technical Writing", which I took in college and totally aced.

27. I don't like driving on bridges.

28. I love sitting in an airport, waiting for a flight, and watching the most random looking people walk by.

29. I think (a lot) before I talk. Usually, stuff I want to say goes through several filters before I finally say it.

30. I like HP calculators better than TIs.

31. I love fruits, especially strawberries. I could eat a carton of strawberries every single day.

32. I watch a lot of TV and I hate missing my shows. I do not understand people who say (brag) that they don't even own a TV or rarely watch TV. Your life must be so boring. Sure, reading a book can be entertaining but watching TV provides more laughs and can be just as educational and inspiring as reading.

33. I enjoy watching the Weather Channel. I don't know why, but I could seriously watch it for hours. And if there's a hurricane? Forget it, I want that channel on every single second till the Hurricane passes.

34. I've never owned a laptop but both times I got a desktop I regretted not getting a laptop. The next computer I buy will most definitely be a laptop.

35. I did ballet when I was younger and absolutely hated it. But I also did tap and loved it!

36. At work I drink coffee and tea from the same mug everyday. I only rinse the mug before each use and then every now and then I'll bring it home and give it a good scrubbing. Considering how thoroughly I wash all of my dishes at home I find it odd that I have no problem reusing the same mug without properly cleaning it. I think it may be because I saw an episode of 'Deadliest Catch' in which one of the deckhands showed the cameraman the mug he uses and how he's never washed it despite all the fish and crab guts that are caked on there. I figured, if that guy is still alive, I can live without washing my mug everyday.

38. I hate having dry, chapped lips. I always have some sort of lip balm, chapstick, lipstick, or lipgloss with me at all times. Minor obsession. Minor.

39. I go through phases where I'll always wear a watch and then I never wear a watch and then I'll start wearing one again. I'm currently in the 'No Watch' phase.

40. Every single day I wear sunblock on my face: Neutrogena Face Moisturizer with SPF 15. I remember growing up and seeing older ladies on talk shows who barely had any wrinkles and their secret was wearing sunblock everyday. Whether or not this is true, I still wear moisturizer with SPF because I don't want wrinkles and it leaves my face hydrated and smooth.

41. I had really bad acne in high school. I finally took the highest allowed dosage of Acutane my senior year and haven't had a problem since. I always get annoyed at the negative reports about Acutane because that stuff gave me clear skin before I entered college and it probably saved my social life. I'm a big supporter and believer in Acutane...just don't get knocked up while on it.

42. I have a severe case of arachnophobia. The only spiders I can be around, and really I mean, the only spiders I'm capable of killing myself, are itty-bitty spiders or daddy long legs.

43. When I was a baby I had bacterial meningitis. I survived because I'm uber awesome.

44. I think black and blue pens are really boring which is why I like to use green, purple, or pink pens. I realize that using a purple pen at a meeting with clients doesn't look that professional and I try not to do it very often but sometimes I just can't resist the urge to be girly.

45. I don't have a dishwasher in my apartment and I cannot wait till I live in a place that has one.

46. Every now and then I go through phases where I stop drinking soda. As of today, I've gone 4.5 weeks without soda. I feel like I'm in AA.

47. I usually drive to work in flip flops because I hate driving in high heels.

48. I'm not that into cars. I drive a Civic and I love it because it's compact, reliable, and gets great gas mileage. But just wait, my car will probably break down tomorrow.

49. Even though I'm several years away from buying a house/condo, I'm still addicted to looking at real estate websites (Redfin, Trulia, Zillow, etc.)

50. I keep a little notepad in my car and every time I go to the gas station I note the date, mileage, dollars spent, and gallons of gas purchased. Also, whenever I take my car in for an oil change or routine maintenance check, I write down the date, mileage, and maintenance performed. My parents do this and it's something I picked up and I'm still not quite sure exactly why I do it.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

I've debated whether or not I wanted to join the "100 Useless Facts about Me" club but I finally decided to do it since I can't think of anything else to write about and I've enjoyed reading about other bloggers (see: Heather B, Sherry, Finny, Cat). This will be a challenging task for me since I don't like talking about myself and revealing too much information. It may be why my fiance always says he can't quite figure out what's going through my head even though we've been together for more than 4 years. I'll do this thing in four parts, so here's Useless Stuff #1-25:

1. I'm a Southern California girl, born and raised, and I hope I live here for the rest of my life.

2. I went to the midwest for college because I wanted to get out of California and experience life somewhere else. After 4 years I realized I belong in SoCal.

3. I drink coffee everyday. I used to only drink it at work in the mornings, but lately I've noticed that I have severe headaches on the weekends that are only cured by coffee.

4. I love Dunkin' Donuts coffee and there are no longer any DDs in California, which is a huge tragedy. The DD ground coffee beans sold at grocery stores are really good and I seriously hope DD comes back to CA.

5. I've always wanted to be a Starbucks barista. No real reason.

6. I get really excited when roads are repaved. I love driving on new pavement. Yes, I know I'm a huge dork so you don't have to leave a comment telling me what I already know.

7. If I was a guy I would totally be a crab fisherman.

8. If I was a guy I would totally be a fireman. Denis Leary is so f'ing awesome in 'Rescue Me'.

9. If I was a guy I would totally be a hockey player.

10. I really want to go to culinary school.

11. I really want to go to art school and learn how to do letterpress.

12. I'm hapa and I love everything there is to being hapa. I milk that minority shit whenever possible.

13. I like to cook and I love to bake.

14. When I was in 6th grade I was suspended for one day for slapping a boy. Yeah, that's right, don't cross me or else I will cut you!

15. I can sew a mean hem but I wish I could design and sew my own clothes.

16. I iron my own clothes because I cannot fathom sending them to a dry cleaner and paying them to do something I can do myself.

17. I'm thrift and I hate paying for stuff I can do myself, such as valet parking (such utter bullshit).

19. I have a severe candy addiction. I rarely, if ever, crave chocolate, but I could eat candy every single day.

20. I get the Asian-glow but it doesn't stop me from drinking. Usually a Pepcid AC will do the trick and I won't have to worry about the redness. In college I could put down a lot considering my size. Now I don't drink as much but I'll still drink a lot when the occasion arises.

21. I'm not a big wine drinker. I prefer beer and I'm by no means a beer snob. Give me a Bud Light or PBR and I'm good to go. When I feel like riding in style I'll purchase some Shiner Bock.

22. In college one of my favorite semester activities was the Case Race my sorority girls organized. Each team had 4 members and one 24 pack to put down and the team that finished first was the winner. There was no real prize, just bragging rights for an entire semester. We finally realized that the larger breasts you had the more you could drink. It's true, scientific research! I think the most one girl drank in one Case Race was 10 beers. My proudest moment was finishing my 6 beers before vomiting in-synch with my future Maid-of-Honor.

23. I changed my major after my freshman year. I settled on a major that I was interested in, would allow me to get paid to attend grad school, and would provide me a financially stable career.

24. I have one older brother and like all little sisters who can't think for themselves, I adored and always wanted to do everything he did, which is why I like playing video games, enjoy male-oriented movies, and like the music that I do.

25. I played the flute when I was younger, refused to be in the marching band, was in the high school orchestra, and never went to band camp.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

We briefly discuss updates from the past week and then spend a good portion of the podcast discussing the Gretzky years. We may have gotten carried away with some story-telling and reliving memories but hopefully you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed talking about them.